Friendly Advice
by TheGoldman
Summary: Hawke and Merrill decide to reveal their relationship, and some of their companions decide to have a chat with Hawke.


AN: I'm not the owner of Dragon Age.

I beseech my readers to vote on the poll on my profile, I'm not sure which story I want to focus on, so I leave it to you.

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"Hawke." Varric's voice called him back, and he turned to see the dwarf staring at him, looking more serious than he'd ever seen him before. "Don't fuck around with Daisy. She's been through tough times, with her clan exiling her, and forcing her to set up a new life in a city where everyone's hostile to her about her being an elf, and constantly hiding her magic. From what I've heard, even the other elves shun her, because she was born Dalish and they don't like it." Varric leaned forward in his chair, putting down his tankard. "If you hurt her, Bianca and I will be having words with you. Is that understood?"

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to hurt Merrill's feelings?" Hawke asked rhetorically. "I'm pretty sure this is the third time tonight someone's threatened to kill me if I hurt her, you know."

"Oh?" Varric raised an eyebrow, and leant back in his chair. "Take a seat, Hawke, and tell the story."

-.- Five hours earlier -.-

Hawke followed Anders and Fenris into the Hanged Man, listening vaguely to their discussion about the ways in which Fenris' lyrium tattoos affected Anders' healing spells. Apparently, Anders thought he could use less mana for the spell, and was wondering if other spells would be more effective if cast when a mage was touching Fenris, similarly to how mages could cast more powerfully when near a seam of lyrium crystals. Looking around, his eyes were drawn to her.

Merrill was sitting with Isabela and Varric, listening quietly while the two bantered about their various adventures. She looked somewhat downcast, but upon seeing Hawke, her face lit up adorably. He somewhat rudely pushed past Anders and Fenris, and half-ran over to their table, embracing Merrill as she stood to greet them, kissing her passionately.

Isabela and Varric both began chuckling, and Anders joined in. Even Fenris looked like he might crack a smile, for once. The two separated, Merrill blushing heavily, Hawke less so.

"So ... Anyone for Wicked Grace?" Hawke asked, trying to divert attention from Merrill to ease her embarrassment.

"Haven't you forgotten something, Hawke?" Varric asked, a satisfied grin on his face, as Isabela slid a coin across the table to him. "Or are you not drinking tonight?"

Hawke smiled. "Of course I am. First round's on me, if someone wants to help me carry the drinks over?"

"I'll help, if you're buying." Isabela stood, quickly downing the rest of her drink. Anders took a seat next to Isabela, while Fenris sat down next to Varric, leaving two seats to Merrill's left.

Hawke waved an arm, catching the barman's eye, as Isabela leaned against the bar next to him. "Is Aveline joining us tonight?" He asked.

"I asked her earlier, when I was visiting the barracks. She said 'If I have time. Now put some clothes on, whore!'" Isabela mimicked Aveline precisely, making Hawke chuckle.

"You were voluntarily in the barracks? Why?" Hawke asked, curious. Isabela had always expressed her views on how going to the barracks was an unnatural thing to do.

"I met a man on patrol, and decided to find out if he was as good with his sword as he claimed." Isabela answered.

Hawke snorted at the double entendre. "No wonder Aveline was annoyed. She doesn't like it when people sleep with her guardsmen, apparently." The barman approached, and Hawke passed over some coin. "Six ales, mate."

Isabela grabbed Hawke's arm as the barman went to fill the tankards. "Hawke, what exactly are you doing with Merrill?"

He smiled. "Well ... I suppose I'm courting her, technically. We're taking it at a pace that both of us are comfortable with."

Isabela smiled, but it was a sinister smile. Hawke reached out to pick up the drinks from the counter, and Isabela slammed one of her daggers down, pinning Hawke's sleeve to the counter. "If you hurt her, Hawke, they'll never find your body, and your testicles will be hanging from the sign outside." She then winked, and picked up three of the tankards, leaving Hawke to pull the blade free and carry the rest.

-.- -.-

"So that's why you took so long bringing back that first round." Varric nodded. "Fair play to Riviani, that sort of threat's one that'll keep you behaving right."

Hawke shivered nervously. "That one will haunt me for a while, that's for sure." He took a sip of the ale that Edwina had brought him, before placing the tankard down again.

"Who was the other threat from?" Varric asked, his storyteller's instincts activating again. "I bet it was Aveline, wasn't it?"

Hawke nodded. "That one wasn't as scary, and yet it was more terrifying in a way."

-.- Three hours earlier -.-

"Aveline!" The group all cheered as she walked in, raising their cups in a toast. She didn't immediately walk over to them, stopping by the bar to pick up a bottle of wine, which she took a swig from without pouring it into a cup.

Aveline sighed as she sat down, her chainmail clinking against the sword on her belt. "It's been a long day." She remarked as Hawke dealt her in for another round of Diamondback.

"Problems with the guard?" Varric asked, one eyebrow quirked as Aveline took another swig from the bottle.

"No matter how much I try to clean up the guard, most of them are still completely corrupt. It doesn't help that most of them still don't respect me as their captain."

"Because you're Fereldan or because you're a woman?" Hawke asked.

"Yes." Aveline answered, looking at the card Hawke had just turned over, comparing it to the cards in her hand.

"You'll show them, Aveline." Varric remarked. "I've got people working on improving your reputation, and between those of us sitting around this table, we make some pretty powerful friends. Anders' clinic has made it clear that people who tried to kill guards won't be treated by him, and Hawke and Isabela have dangerous reputations. Between us, we can guarantee the people in Lowtown and Darktown won't have a problem with you. I'm working on the nobles of Hightown, but you know how nobles are."

Aveline dropped the bottle, empty. "I need more drink. Hawke, carry?"

Isabela chuckled. "You've been here five minutes, and drained a bottle. Are you trying to be as loose as I am?"

"Shut up, whore." Aveline pushed herself up from the table, and Hawke stood as well, kissing Merrill on the cheek as he did so.

Aveline nodded to the barman, and he immediately pulled up six more tankards, before looking for another bottle of wine. "Hawke. You're with Merrill now." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"We're together, yes." Hawke confirmed.

"Be careful, both of you. I don't want either of you to get hurt." Aveline smiled. "But, more importantly, you need to treat her right. Merrill's been through tough times, and I know you've been struggling too. Your mother told me how you were before the Blight, and the reputation you had in Lothering after you broke up with that girl, Allison. So if you cheat on her, or you sleep with her and then dump her, I might have to let people know everything about you. And I mean everything."

-.- -.-

"She actually threatened to turn you in?" Varric asked. "Shit, I need to be more careful."

Hawke laughed. "You know how Aveline is, Varric. She's like a mabari, constantly looking after all of 'her pack.' I know Aveline probably wouldn't turn me in, but she had to make some form of threat. Considering my losses, and my past, I can't really blame her for it. Before all of this, I was a bit of a playboy in Lothering, and everyone knew about it." He sighed, sipping on his drink. "That's one of the reasons I'll never go back there. I hate the person I was back then."

Varric sighed in contentment. "So you've finally told me what you were running from, Hawke. I knew it wasn't just the Blight, and I always wondered what it really was."

"It seems I can't keep my secrets anymore." Hawke frowned. "But I will keep one secret from you, Varric." Varric raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Hawke to continue. "My first name."

Varric burst out laughing. "I found that out the first day we met, _**Amadeus**_. Your mother tells the most interesting stories."

Hawke swore. "I don't know what my parents were thinking, calling me that. I find it a pretty good reason to be just Hawke."


End file.
